Chapter 3: Experience

Atlas learned a lot from the memories that poured into his mind. They showed a burning village near Silvermist Lake in the Thalassia Empire on the mainland. The Soldiers who came to inspect the village saw a flash down by the shore, and when they rushed over to the source, he was found.The memories showed that the soldier's commander had adopted him because he only had daughters and wanted a son. Atlas found out that the family used to live in the capital, Thalasar, before moving to Echo Isles when his Father retired from the army to become the Duke of a new region thanks to his service to the empire.

Atlas knew that the empire rested at the center of Astoria, the supercontinent he found himself on. This information caught his interest, and he wanted to find a library once he was back in civilization to learn more about the world.

More importantly, he learned of events called Monster Waves, which happen occasionally and are known to destroy whole towns and cities if left unchecked. Unfortunately, the growing settlement his father was in charge of was among the first to be targeted by the disaster.

Luckily, his adoptive family was in Wildwood City because his sisters were heading to the Arcane School Of Magic in the far north. They had to catch a Morozov Express Train from the capital that traveled all the way up to Northreach Point.

It is the northernmost city on the continent. While they were doing that, he stayed back at the Homestead to train with his father's guards, but when a hunter returned to town warning of a Monster Wave, the soldiers and townsfolk made a mad dash toward Ironclad to take refuge.

But the defenses only held for two days before the monsters poured over the walls like a wave of teeth and claws. A small group of survivors, including Atlas, managed to fight their way out, but he was the first to go down once they entered the forest.

He lagged behind the group due to being low-level and lazy, which annoyed the current him. While thinking about everything, the soldier's voice brought him back to reality as he weakly pointed in a specific direction.

"Young Master. It would be best if you traveled to the port Southwest, where the rest of the people are,'' he spoke in a haggard voice. ''The Monster Wave eradicated Ironclad Pass. Hopefully, Wildwood still stands, and you can find rescue there.''

''Why can't you come?'' He asked. ''My memories are foggy, and I can't remember much.''

''The Snow Viper Venom is working its way up my body and is about to cut off my movements,'' the man replied while coughing up black blood, ''When you arrive at the port, they will save you and take you back to the mainland to find the Count.''

Atlas nodded, his curiosity piqued about his new appearance. However, before he could inquire further, the man finally said, "Be careful. Stronger monsters are roaming the forest, boy."

After speaking, the man went limp, which shook him to the core as this was the first time seeing someone die. Remembering Luxia's advice, he steeled himself to confront the grim reality of death despite the overwhelming nausea that stirred within him.

Though the soldier appeared at peace, Atlas knew he was dead. After staring at the man for a while, he looked around and soon realized he was in a forest. Even worse, it was snowing, and the cold wind was brushing against his skin, causing him to complain.

'Damn, it's going to get cold soon,' he internally moaned. 'All I'm wearing is a medieval-like tunic and uncomfortable pants.'

He could not wield any of the soldier's weapons because they were too heavy for him when trying to carry them. Atlas tried to pick up a sword until he found a staff that one of the men must have been carrying before they got ambushed.

Atlas picked it up and spun it around as if he already knew what to do, which confused him, but he chose to ignore it. He studied the staff until something popped up in his vision, which surprised him.

[Battle Staff]

[Rank: Common]

[Level: 3]

When Atlas saw this, he was baffled and rechecked his status.

Name: Atlas

Age: 13

Race: Voidborn

Class: ??????????

Level: ---

Rank: ---

Experience: 000/200

Affinity: ????

____

Health: 20/20

Mana: 430/500

Strength: 20

Stamina: 20

Charisma: 200

Intelligence: 20

____

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____

Spells:

Attack: Lv-1: Void Bullet (0) Lv- 1: Void Arrow (0)

Defence: Lv-1: Void Guard (0)

Support:

Utility:

____

Skills: ---- ----- (-) Silent Casting (-) Void Sight (0)

When Atlas saw his skills and spells, he went through them to check on all the details while no monsters were around.

[Silent Casting: Can cast spells without chanting]

[Void Sight: Reveals the fundamental attributes and characteristics of beings or objects, with its efficacy growing more robust as it progresses in Level]

[Void Bullet: Conjures a volatile projectile of void mana that explodes on contact - Cost: 10 Mana]

[Void Arrow: Summons a piercing projectile infused with unstable void energy, capable of penetrating targets with precision - Cost: 15 Mana]

[Void Guard: Erects a protective barrier woven from the fabric of the void, shielding the user from harm - Cost: 25 Mana]

While reviewing his skills and spells, Atlas heard something approaching him from behind, prompting him to cast Void Guard. An azure-colored force field materialized around him just in time to absorb the impact of the incoming attack.

The force of the collision sent him staggering backward, his gaze lifting to find another wolf, its head shaking with anger as it snarled menacingly. He couldn't help but yelp in fright at the sight.

Quickly regaining his composure, Atlas focused on scanning the threat before him.

[Icefang Wolf]

[Rank: F]

A gulp caught in his throat as he realized the wolf's rank surpassed his own. However, Atlas wasted no time, unleashing ten Void Bullets while simultaneously launching three Void Arrows.

The wolf quickly dodged the projectiles, but the arrows found their mark, piercing the monster's skull. He watched the creature make a strange death noise before dropping lifelessly to the ground.

When that happened, Atlas felt something strange flowing into his body, causing him to check his Experience.

[Experience: 100/200]

[Experience Gained: 100]

Excitement welled inside him, but he had to control himself before heading Southwest to reach the city the soldier was talking about because it was snowing in a deadly forest. With that thought, he held onto the staff and started walking.

He traveled through the dark forest with his head on a swivel. The canopy above blocked out most of the sunlight, allowing only a tiny amount to slither through. After walking for half an hour, he came to an eerily quiet small pond.

Atlas cautiously surveyed his surroundings, finding no signs of lurking monsters. Satisfied, he approached the water's edge and peered into its surface. What he saw startled him once again, but in a good way.

His hair glimmered like freshly fallen snow, its length cropped neatly but covered in blood. Atlas couldn't deny the charm of his new appearance as he admired himself. His features were flawless—high cheekbones and a strong jawline exuding youthful charm.

However, his eyes truly mesmerized him—deep pools of azure blue radiating with a supernatural glow. Then, a pair of elf-like ears twitched subtly as he took in his reflection, adding to his newfound mystique.

Atlas found his skin nearly as white as his hair. He was tempted to continue to admire his appearance, but he tore his gaze away and refocused on his surroundings, ever vigilant for any potential threats as he passed the pond.

That's when he remembered the soldier talking and wondered how he understood him. 'How can I understand their language?' he thought. 'Maybe Luxia gave me a secret gift, or it may be the system translating for me.'

Atlas nonchalantly shrugged before resuming his trek. Soon, he encountered a small stream, which he jumped over. A faint rustling sound nearby piqued his curiosity as he landed on the opposite bank.

Intrigued, he clumsily approached the source of the noise while preparing to cast a spell. When Atlas stepped into the clearing, he saw something that shocked him—small dog-sized rabbits with sharp horns protruding from their foreheads.

While looking at them, the monsters weren't paying attention to him as they greedily ate the emerald green grass that glimmered in the afternoon light. Atlas counted nine creatures and decided to kill them for the experience.

Before starting his attack, he uses the Void Sight on them to see their rank.

[Horned Rabbit]

[Rank: G]

'Not too bad, If I remember correctly Rank G is the lowest and should be easy for me,' Atlas internally mused.

With that thought in mind, he cast Void Bullet at the Horned Rabbits, and the azure projectile soared forward before slamming into the closest monster's body, causing it to explode into blood mist.

He was shocked at the carnage but switched to Void Arrows and sent eight azure arrows to chase after the creatures who tried to flee. The spells moved quickly and connected with five of them, causing the Horned Rabbits to spasm before dropping dead.

As the experience flowed into his body, Atlas sensed a shift within him. Suddenly, something snapped inside, triggering a sharp, mind-throbbing headache that sent him to his knees with a pained moan.

Notifications flashed before his eyes, irritating yet also exciting him.

[Class Unlocked: Voidwalker]

[Level Up: 0→1]

[Rank Unlocked: Novice]

[Experience: 200/1000]

[Experience gained: 300]

[Affinity Unlocked: Void]

[Health: 20→70]

[Mana: 500→550]

[Strength: 20→70]

[Stamina: 20→70]

[Charisma: 200→225]

[Intelligence: 20→70]

[Skill Unlocked: Void Realm]

[Mana Core Unlocked]

[Core Points: 400/10000]

[Body Tempering Level: -]

Soon, the pain subsided, and Atlas could think straight and examine the upgrades. He was pleased with the results when he saw all the notifications. It seemed that unlocking his first rank gave him fifty on every attribute, and I guessed he gets something like that every time he ranks up.

After examining them, Atlas checked his mana after casting nine spells in one go, as he guessed it used a good chunk of his mana.

[Mana: 130/550]

'I used eighteen Void Bullets, eight Void Arrows and the shield which cost me three hundred and seventy mana,' Atlas reflected on his spell use while looking around the small clearing the Horned Rabbits were.